Railroad-switch



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

G. E. NOWLIN.

RAILRDAD SWITCH.

No. 468,256. Patented Feb. 2, 1892.

W/T/VESSQS: INVENTOR MW 5 WW By fig/71 W) ATTORNEYS (No Model.) asneetssneet a.

G. E. NOWLIN. RAILROAD SWITCH.

' Patented Feb. 2, 1892.

N 3w A k N xx l R? 3 KS w&\ as N\ INVENTOH: 6(5 By ATTORNEYS WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFFORD E. NOlVLIN, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,256, dated February 2, 1892.

Application filed February 24, 1891. Serial No. 382,626. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD E. NOWLIN, of Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Switch, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in switches for railroads; and the object of my invention is to produce a durable and efficient switch, which will not easily get out of order, and which may be conveniently operated from an engine or car, to facilitate the switching of trains and to allow them to make a siding with quickness and dispatch and perfect safety.

To this end my invention consists in a switch and mechanism for operating the same, which mechanism will be hereinafter fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of a mainline track and siding provided with the switch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view, showing in detail the mechanism for operating the switch. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the switch-supports and the lockinglever for the switch. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the switch, showing the connection of the switch-plate and the cable for operating it. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a device for holding the switch closed. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of the spring connection for holding the switch closed, the cable-adjusting device, and the box inclosing the latter. Fig. 7 is a broken plan view showinga modified means of operating the locking-lever, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the cylinder and spring-casting connected with the locking-lever.

The track-rails A arelaid on sleepers B in the usual manner, and the main portion of the switch is laid on a long sleeper B,which is placed a little lower than the rest of the sleepers, the sleeper 13' having on its upper side the parallel bars C and C, which supswitch-plate and hold the switch open when in use. The outer end of the locking-lever is normally pressed outward by a spring e, one end of which is secured to a boss 0' on the bar 0, and the opposite end of which presses against the locking-lever.

A hand-lever F is pivoted to a lug b immediately beneath the lockingdever E, and by raising the hand-lever it will engage the outer end of the locking-lever and release the same from the switclrplate.

The switch is normally held closed byadevice which will be hereinafter described,-and the free end of the locking-lever is connected by a cable G with a vertically-movable casts ing N, so that when a train passes from the main line onto a siding the casting may be depressed in a manner hereinafter described, so as to release the locking-lever and allow the switch to spring backinto closed position. The switch-plate D is operated by the cables H, which are secured thereto and which extend over double loose pulleys I'l', arranged at each end of the switch-plate, and from thence extend through underground pipes J, which are laid parallel with the railroadtrack, the said cables being secured at the ends to chains H which extend over sprocket-wheels K, the sprocketwheels being mounted in suitable supports K, which are arranged in the bottom of the cylinders L, the cylinders extending upward at either side of the track and terminating between two sleepers B. It will thus be seen that the cables and the chains connected therewith form an endless cable, and the cable extends parallel with the track in both directions from a switch, so that by turning the wheel K first in one direction and then in the other the cable will be moved and the switch-plate and switchrails correspondingly moved.

The cylinders L are provided with ribs or brackets L above the wheels K. The bracket of each cylinder supports a spiral spring M, which has a collar M at each end, the upper collar being held normally about flush with the top of the cylinder, and mounted on the upper collar is an oval casting N, which is connected by means of a depending pitman N with a crank on the wheel K, so that when the casting N is raised or lowered the Wheel K and the cables connected therewith will be moved.

The cast-ing N has pivotally attached to it near the center the side rails O, the opposite ends of which are hinged to the rails O, which rails extend parallel with the track-rails A, are supported on the sleepers B. The adJacent ends of the rails 0 have lugs on the under side, which are secured in a slot 41 in the top of the casting N, and the opposite ends of the said rails are provided with a lug which extends into a corresponding recess in the ends of the rails 0, so that the top surface of the side rails willbe perfectly smooth. The spring M is strong enough so that it nor mally holds the higher parts of the side rails O at a point about level with the track-rails A, and when the rails and casting N are depressed the springs will force them back to their normal position when the pressure is removed after the locking-lever is released. A spring-pressed casting N, as described, may be arranged at a convenient point adjacent to a siding and connected with the cable G for operating the locking-lever, as described above, and the cable may be attached directly to the casting or it may be passed through it and secured to a sleeper.

The cables H, which operate the switch, are also extended around pulleys p on the lower ends of the lamp-posts P, which lamp-posts carry the ordinary signal-lamps and are held to turn in a casing P, the casing being arranged at each end of the switch-plates, so as to cover the pulleys p and H. It will thus be seen that when a switch is operated in the night the lamp will be turned to indicate whether itis'epened or closed, in the usual manner, and the posts may be provided with the ordinary day-signals as well.

The casing P is made of strong metal, is closed by a, cover P which is kept securely looked, and within the casing is a turn-buckle P which is mounted on screw-rods connected withthe cable, and it will thus be seen that the railroad employs who have the key to the casing can open it, and by turning the turn-buckle can take up the slack of the ca- ..bl'e or'may entirely disconnect the switch, so

that it may be tested to see that it is in good working order; but it will be impossible for theswitjch to be tampered with by those not having a key.

The switch is normally held closed by the following mechanism: A spring-pressed plunger Qis inclosed in a cylinder R, and the piston-rod Q of the plunger is made to extend inward through one end of the cylinder and is connected to the switch-plate D, the oppo site end of the cylinder being secured to a bolt R, which extends through a wall ofthe casing P, and the bolt is provided with a nut r, so that by adjusting the nut the spring may be given any desired tension and it will serve to hold the switch closed, leaving the main track open.

The following mechanism is employed for depressing the side rails. O and operating the switch: A sleeveS is secured upon a locomotive at a point adjacent to the cab, or, if desired, it maybe secured to a car, and mounted in the lower end of the sleeve is a shaft S, which extends downward and aligns with the side rails O,the said shaft having at its lower end a wheel s, which is adaptedto contact with the side rails. The shaft is guided bya pin 8, which extends through a longitudinal slot in the sleeve S, and the shaft is normally held upward by means of a spiral spring 8 which is coiled around the sleeve, one end being secured to the sleeve and the other to the shaft.

Above the shaft is a rubber washer T,which is adapted to prevent excessive shock, and above the washer is a cup-shaped socket T, which receives the lower end of a screw U, which screw is mounted in the upper end of the sleeve and is provided with ahand-wheel U, by means of which it is. raisedor lowered, and it will thus be seen that by turning the wheel in a desired direction the contact-wheel 3 may be made to strike the side rails 0, depress the casting N, and operate the switch. Should the cables become disconnected, the switch may be operated by an ordinary handlever.

In Figs. 7 and S I have shown modified means for operating the locking-lever. As shown in these figures, cylinders If are sunk at intervals along the track, and in each cylinder is a spring M,like that already described, which has at the top a block XV, which is concaved on the upper side, and upon which rests a, casting N, having. a curved slot n in the upper part, inwhich slot slide'pins which are secured to the lugs on the under side of the rails O. The spring M normally holds the rails elevated, so that they will come within range of the contact-wheels s. The castings N are connected with thelocking-lever by a cable G, which extends through the castings IIO and through a groove in the under sides of I the rails O and O, and after the cable leaves the rails it may be covered by planks to protect it. The locking'lever is connected with two of the spring-castings on each side of the switch and on the siding, onevofthe castings being arranged within a few car-lengths of the switch and the other farther away, as illustrated in Fig. '7, and one will be sure to operate, and if a switch should be accidcnt ally left open it may be closed bya train coming along the main track by simply depress ing the wheel 8, so that it will contact with one of the side rails, and the casting will thus be depressed and will tilt the locking-lever and unlock the switch, so that the spring R will close it. The cable on one side of the switch may be given the necessary direction b P g it around a guide-pulley g, as in Fig. 7.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent' 1. A switch comprising a movable switchplate adapted to support the switch-rails, cables secured to the switch-plate and extending parallel with the track, said cables passing over suitable guide-pulleys and sprocketwheels, spring pressed castings mounted above the sprocket-wheels and connected with the sprocket-wheels by a pitman and crank, side rails arranged parallel with the trackrails and pivoted to the castings, and means for depressing the side rails from a train, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the movable switch plate, of spring pressed castings placed adjacent to the track, sprocket-wheels mounted beneath the castings and connected therewith by a crank and pitman, side rails pivoted to the castings and arranged parallel with the track-rails, and cables extending over the sprocket-wheels and through tubes to connect with the switch -plate, substan-- tially as described.

In a switch, the combination, with the movable switch-plate and the locking-lever adapted to engage the same, of a springpressed casting placed adjacent to the track, side rails pivoted to the casting and arranged parallel with the track-rails, and a cable connecting the casting with the free end of the locking-lever, substantially as described.

4. In a switch, the combination, with the movable switch-plate having a niche in one edge and the spring-pressed locking-lever pivoted adjacent to the switch-plate and having one end provided with a stud to engage the niche in the switch-plate, of a springpressed casting placed adjacent to the trackrail, side rails extending parallel with the track-rails and pivoted to the casting, a cable connecting the casting with the outer end of the locking-lever, and means for depressing the side rails from a train, substantially as described.

5. In a switch, the combination, with the switch-plate, the spring-pressed plunger con nected therewith, and the cylinder inclosing the plunger, of a locked box adjacent to the cylinder, and an adjustable rod having one end secured to the cylinder and the opposite end secured within the box, substantially as described.

6. In a switch of the character described, the combination, with the switch-operating cables having a turn-buckle thereon, of a locked box inclosing the turn-buckle, substantantially as described.

7. The combination, with the main and switch rails and the sliding plate connecting the free ends of the switch-rails to open and close the switch, of signal-posts at opposite sides of the track adjacent to the switch and having pulleys at their lower ends and trainoperated cables extending along the track at both sides of the switch connected with the said switch-plate, said cables extending respectively beyond the opposite ends of the switch-plate around the signatpost pulleys,

substantially as set forth.

8. In a switch of the character described, the combination, with the vertically-movable side rails, of a sleeve adapted to be secured to a locomotive or car, a spring-pressed shaft mounted in the sleeve and having at its lower end a wheel to contact with the side rail, and a screw mechanism for adjusting the shaft and wheel, substantially as described.

9. In a switch of the character described, the depressing mechanism comprising the sleeve adapted to be secured to a locomotive, a spring-pressed shaft mounted in the sleeve and carrying a contact-Wheel, a cushion for the shaft, and a screw mechanism for adjusting the shaft, substantially as described.

CLIFFORD E. NOWLIN.

\Vitnesses:

F. R. KINGMAN, F. A. ALLWARDT. 

